When war came to the Hawaiian Islands, Alexa Vom Tempsky Zabriskie continued here prewar practice of opening the grounds of he estate ("Erehwon" or "Nowhere" spelled backwards) to naval aviation personnel assigned to the air station on Maui near her home.  Her hospitality became legendary for hundreds of aviators who passed through Naval Air Station (NAS) Puunene, Zabriskie's peacetime practice of having guests sign her den wall continued throughout the war, with the additions of photographs and squadron insignia.

Among the squadrons that came to know Erehwon and enjoyed its hospitality was Fighting Squadron (VF) 10, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Flatley and nicknamed "The Grim Reapers." The signatures they left on the wall prior to departing for Guadalcanal for service in the carrier Enterprise (CV 6) were later amended note the fates of pilots missing or held prisoner. Among them was "Dusty" Rhodes, who along with squadronmate Butch Voris, later commanded the famed Blue Angels.

The list of famous military personnel whose signature appear on the wall is numerous, among them that of Commander Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare, the first naval aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II.  "May it always be here (the wall I mean)," he wrote . In November 1943, O'Hare was shot down during night aerial combat in the waters off the Gilbert Islands. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is named after him.

The wall in the den of Erehwon was for some not just a place to sign their name, but a canvas for drawing. One aviator left a caricature of a naval officer in dress white uniform hoisting a glass next to the words, "A permanent toast to the Von T's____."  Alexa von Tempsky Zabriskie also kept a scrapbook throughout the war that complemented the wall and is a unique record of a generation of men in moments of peace before confronting the dangers of war.